Erbil, Kurdistan Region – The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) announced on Thursday that a senior leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Halil Yigit, codenamed Hogir Pirosi, was “neutralized” in an operation near the Turkish border in the Gara region of the Kurdistan Region.

Security sources reported that Yigit was a key figure in organizing attacks against Turkish security forces. He began his militant activities in 2007 in Turkey’s southeastern Şırnak province and was involved in armed operations and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in the Silopi district. Yigit also participated in military operations with the YPG in Syria in 2018. MIT’s operation to “neutralize” him followed intelligence that pinpointed his location.

The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, maintains a significant presence in the Kurdistan Region and northeast Syria, engaging in ongoing conflicts that frequently target Turkish interests, prompting military responses from Ankara.

In a related development, Kurdish researcher and political writer Delofan Ali disclosed that several Turkish leftist organizations, operating under the PKK’s banner, have established bases in the Gara, Qandil, and Sulaymaniyah regions. These groups, including the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), the Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist (TKP-ML), and the Workers’ and Peasants’ Liberation Army of Turkey (TİKKO), are led by senior PKK figure Duran Kalkan.

Ali explained that while these groups present themselves as revolutionary leftist movements advocating for the oppressed, they are allegedly created and directed by intelligence agencies to serve regional agendas. He further noted that these organizations oppose the establishment of an independent Kurdish state and work against the Kurdistan Region’s interests.

The presence of these organizations in the region has raised significant concerns, as Turkish military operations, including drone strikes, have endangered civilian lives. Ali criticized the groups for advancing the PKK’s agenda while participating in coordinated military and media efforts against Kurdistan, which has escalated tensions and accusations of terrorism in the region.

The ongoing conflicts involving the PKK and its allied leftist organizations continue to fuel instability and provoke military responses from Turkey, adding to the challenges faced by civilians in the affected areas.